March 2024 SOLC–Day 10
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What was that?

On my way to dumping out the compost, I stopped to listen. There it was again–some sort of bird call, but one that I didn’t recognize. 

I am not very good at recognizing bird calls. Or music. Or sounds in general. I think it’s an auditory issue of some sort. I’m really, really bad at it, even when I try. I am not exaggerating. My husband loves to quiz me with songs and musicians.

“Who’s that singing?” he’ll ask.

When I inevitably give up, he’s aghast. “How can you not recognize Mick Jagger’s voice?”

At any rate, maybe a few years ago, someone told me about the Merlin app. If you like birds and don’t know this app, check it out right now. It’s free and amazing! I only dip into the sound recordings to help me identify birds by their calls, but there’s tons more to investigate. Just the sound-recording identification feature alone is game changing.

Yesterday, I went back inside to grab my phone, wanting to use Merlin to identify the unusual call. Of course, when I came back outside, all the birds had vanished, and there was nothing to hear. I looked around. Nothing moved. I waited a few minutes. Finally I heard a far-off call, though not the same one. Still, I turned on the app. 

Bit by bit, as I stood there, the backyard came alive with bird song and flight. I listened and watched. As I heard each call, it appeared on my screen.

I do know many birds by sight and I can recognize chickadees, robins, titmice, the jays, gold finches, a variety of woodpeckers, the crows, the cardinals, and many more. I’m still fuzzy on house finch versus purple finch, and my hawk identification is pretty limited, but I’m getting better. Using the app really helps. I can use the sound identification and link it to the bird.

On this particular morning there were some surprise visitors, even though they remained unseen. I’ve learned to trust this app. If it says the bird is there, it usually is. 

I was delighted to see brown creeper pop up on my screen. I love these small brown birds with their curved beaks. I don’t know their call, but I do know them when I see them. They are year round residents, and expert camouflagers. They move up the trunks of trees, scouting for bugs, and then always fly along to land low on another trunk and begin another upward climb. I scanned the tree trunks. I still didn’t see a creeper, but was excited to know they were around. 

As I listened, I found myself looking through the trees, trying to find the bird that matched the call. Hoping this time the call and the bird would stick in my mind. 

Having spent more and more time bird watching, I don’t always need the app. Some calls are quite easy to recognize. When I heard the geese, I immediately scanned the sky until I spotted them flying overhead. I have also finally learned to recognize the distinctive call of the white-throated sparrow. The confirmation on screen always makes me smile though. Got it!

Then a few surprises appeared.

A brown headed cowbird! A pine siskin! A yellow-rumped warbler! Merlin has icons that tell you if a species is rare (red dot) or uncommon (orange semi-circle) for your current location and date. All of these species were marked, yet I hadn’t heard (or recognized the call of) any of these. I had no idea they were around. Pine siskins are more apt to appear in midcoast Maine from fall to spring. Yellow-rumped warblers are some of the first spring songbird migrants, and cowbirds also return in the spring to breed. Their juxtaposition confirmed what I’ve noticed lately. There’s change in the air!

I stood on the back porch for 10-15 minutes, every so often glancing at the phone in my hand, listening to and watching the birds. It was such a delightful interlude.

It’s so easy to miss things when you don’t stop to pay attention.